Unanswered Question
by F1yMordecai
Summary: Years later, Rukia and Ichigo are getting married. But Rukia has always wondered about Renji. Moments before the ceremony, she will she get her answer?


Rukia tried to keep her cool, steadying her heartbeat with controlled breaths. She looked down at the sparkling clear stone on her finger accented by tiny garnets to ease her thoughts. She loved him—she really did—so why was she so nervous? Her damp palms straightened out the folds of her shiro-maku kimono.

"Am I ready for this?" she thought to herself. She had to be. She'd been waiting for hundreds of years to find true love, and there he was outside waiting for her. Ichigo, her strawberry lover, greeted his guests and took photos with his thrilled family.

A knock on the door startled Rukia out of her thoughts. "Come in," she squeaked out, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Dark hair as black as raven feathers peered into the room, revealing the stern but warm face of her brother, Byakuya. "Are you ready?" his smooth voice asked with concern.

"Um," she swallowed a cry, "just give me a few minutes, O-nii-sama."

Byakuya tipped his head in mild confusion, but nodded and turned from the doorway. She heard two male voices low in discussion then the door creaked open again.

"O-nii-sama, I said I'm not quite re—" Rukia stopped her sentence short at the realization that a large redhead was standing in front of her. She gulped before saying, "Renji, what are you doing back here?"

Renji shifted his weight, obviously uncomfortable in the formal kimono Ichigo made him wear as his best man. He cleared his throat to ease the tension. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." He twisted his fingers and stared at his feet.

A single tear fell down Rukia's clean and powdered face. Renji looked at her with shock. "What's wrong?" he asked gingerly, rushing to her side and kneeling so he was at eye level.

"I'm afraid I'm getting cold feet, Renji." She looked into his eyes with worry, her bottom lip quivering.

"Your feet are cold? Do you need me to warm them up?" Renji asked, blowing into his hands and rubbing them together.

Rukia's silent sob turned into a giggle. "No, they're plenty warm. 'Cold Feet'—it's an expression humans use to explain nervousness before getting married." Her tearful eyes looked into his with concern.

"What's to worry about? You love him, right?"

Rukia nodded.

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Renji said in a soft tone.

"But…" she started, "I've always wondered…" she played with the folds on her obi belt. She sniffled and wiped away a lone tear. "I've always wondered about us."

Renji could feel his cheeks turn bright red. He'd been waiting to hear that from her for so long, but not now. Now was not the time.

He cracked a sad smile and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He loved her, God help him, but he wanted to see her happy. He knew that Ichigo was the one to fulfill that job, not him. "Rukia," he started slowly, "there is no us."

She bit her bottom lip to stop it from shaking. His words felt like a slap in the face. "I love you," Renji stated plainly, "and I always will. But…" he cupped her chin with his hand. The next words would tear him up inside.

"But, I'm not the one for you, Rukia." Her eyes looked at him with wonder. "Ichigo will take good care of you."

Rukia's eyes smiled with sadness but a clear understanding. She nodded, swallowing the lump that had built up in her throat. "He's a good man," she whispered.

"He is, and you've got my approval." Renji stood up, clasping Rukia's hands with his. He lifted up her left hand and lightly kissed below her engagement ring. He couldn't lock eyes with her—afraid to crumble under pressure—and simply turned and started walking away.

"Renji!" Rukia called out as Renji's hand reached for the doorknob. He quickly turned to see her standing in the middle of the room, clutching her fist against her heart.

He met her halfway, engulfing her lips in a hard kiss. She kissed him back, quickly, hungrily—her soft tongue inviting him into her mouth. He responded with a quick massage from his tongue, ending their kiss with a tiny pull to her bottom lip. He heard her sniffle and sigh, giving her one final soft kiss to her forehead.

"I'll always love you," Rukia said with a genuine tone.

Renji smirked and cleaned the smudged makeup from her face. "I know, kid."

She smiled, her eyes now sparkling with that familiar confidence. He gave her a tight hug and walked out the door.

Byakuya cocked his head to the side, with a look Renji couldn't decipher as a stare of death or confusion. Renji gave him a mini salute with his index finger, giving him the go-ahead. Byakuya shrugged and turned to get Rukia—it was his honor to give her away to the Kurosaki family.

Renji patted Ichigo's shoulder, and smiled at the youngling, tussling his hair just to get a rise. "Some things never change," he thought, as Ichigo snapped at him.

Byakuya rapped on the door for Rukia, and entered just as she finished tidying up her wedding makeup. "Are you ready now?" he asked, gazing at his beautiful little sister.

Rukia stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her silk kimono. "Yes," she smiled brightly with hope in her eyes, "I'm ready now."


End file.
